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Adopt and present a resolution and plaque of appreciation honoring Felicia Flores-Workman, Supervising Health Education Specialist, upon her retirement from the Department of Health and Social Services, Public Health Division with over 27 years of dedicated public service to Solano County (Supervisor Thomson)
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Published Notice Required? Yes _____ No __X__
Public Hearing Required? Yes _____ No __X__
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Department of Health & Social Services (H&SS) recommends that the Board of Supervisors adopt and present a resolution and plaque of appreciation honoring Felicia Flores-Workman upon her retirement from the Public Health Division with over 27 years of dedicated public service to Solano County.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
Ms. Flores-Workman began her career with Solano County in December 1990 as a Health Information Specialist with the Child Health and Disability Prevention Program. She was reclassified to a Health Education Specialist II in 1991 and was promoted to Supervising Health Education Specialist in 1997. Ms. Flores-Workman has served as the Project Director for the Tobacco Prevention and Education Program since 1997 and as the supervisor of the Substance Abuse Prevention Program since 2012.
Ms. Flores-Workman has been instrumental in reducing the exposure of residents to secondhand smoke both through providing technical assistance and education to local jurisdictions to adopt smoke-free policies and by overseeing and creating opportunities to provide cessation services to diverse populations including pregnant women, those with mental health disorders and mono-lingual Spanish speakers. Ms. Flores-Workman, along with the Tobacco Education Coalition, was instrumental in the City of Vacaville’s adoption of Solano’s first smoke-free parks ordinance in 1993 and, more recently, in assisting the City of Benicia in making their parks and trails smoke-free. In between, Ms. Flores-Workman assisted Touro University in their smoke-free campus policy as well as supported Solano County’s smoke-free facilities/campus policy.
Ms. Flores-Workman has also worked on local efforts to reduce advertising and promotion of unhealthy products as well as location of tobacco retailers away from neighborhoods and child-sensitive areas; one success was working with the Vallejo Alcohol and Tobacco Policy Coalition to pass a Conditional Use Permit ordinance for tobacco retailers in Vallejo. Over the years, Ms. Flores-Workman served on the Bay Area Tobacco Staff committee and as a member of the Local Lead Agency Project Director’s Association which allowed her to coordinate Solano’s efforts with those occurring throughout the Bay Area and California. She has provided strong leadership to the Tobacco Prevention and Education Program and the Substance Abuse Prevention Program and was able to implement her vision to coordinate and find shared goals for these separately funded programs. Ms. Flores-Workman has led communities of excellence and strategic prevention framework needs assessments to identify and address community needs and barriers, especially in vulnerable populations. Through these assessments and a massive effort to collect data and community and elected official support for a Healthy Stores for Healthy Community initiative, the first Healthy Stores for a Healthy Community makeover was conducted in Benicia. Likewise, Ms. Flores-Workman’s vision has led to the statewide incorporation of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) into tobacco prevention work which was included in Solano County’s Tobacco Prevention & Education Program Plan for 2018-2021.
In her 27 years of service, Felicia Flores-Workman has been a very conscientious and dedicated public servant and has displayed great diligence in performing her job duties, never losing her focus on serving our communities. Ms. Flores-Workman has a dedication to excellence, displays a strong ability to write program scopes of work, and excels in her work ethic and program evaluation. Ms. Flores-Workman has worked hard to create good relationships with many community partner agencies and has been a tremendous asset to the County.
Ms. Flores-Workman retired on November 18, 2018 as the Tobacco Prevention and Education Program Project Director and Substance Abuse Prevention Supervisor, in the Health Promotion and Community Wellness Bureau of the Public Health Division. H&SS congratulates Ms. Flores-Workman and wishes her all the best in her future endeavors.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The costs associated with preparing the agenda item is nominal and absorbed by the Department’s FY2018/19 Adopted Budget. The costs associated with preparation and purchase of the resolution materials and plaque are included in the Board’s FY2018/19 Adopted Budget.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose not to adopt this resolution and plaque of appreciation. This is not recommended as it is an opportunity to recognize Ms. Flores-Workman’s dedication and outstanding contributions to the County and the community.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
There is no other agency involvement.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION